Persuasion

Persuasion

By

Danielle Dubois

© Copyright by Danielle Dubois, July 2012

© Cover Art, July 2012

Published by KK and M

Lake Park, GA 31636

kkandmpublishing.com

This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and places are of the author’s

imagination and not to be confused with fact. Any resemblance to living

persons or events is merely coincidence.

While the bustle that was happening around her sent a sizzle of excitement

through Lady Lily Mercer's veins, it also brought a thrill of fear.

The hundreds of people roaming around her aunt's London townhouse were

here for her, and their numbers were steadily increasing as the hours

passed.

On a deep inhalation, Lily walked slowly into the crowd and knew that even

last week, when she had attended court and been presented to the

sovereign herself, she had not been so nervous. There was something

distinctly unnerving about a come out. Here, all eyes were on her, on any

faux pas she might make, on her dress, on her deportment. The number of

errors she could make were numerous and almost the entire guest list would

relish the idea of a good gossip at Lily's expense.

That was another fact that she had come to dislike about London, the

maliciousness of the people and all because they were bored! Lily had never

known anything like it!

Had she had her mama at her side and not her aunt then Lily knew that she

would have been fine. Instead, her aunt was here and her mama was at the

family seat in Cheshire, hibernating from life in the family estate as she

mourned Lily's papa's passing. Although her father had died eighteen

months earlier, her mother still grieved him as though mere hours had

passed and not almost two years.

Gathering her skirts in her hand, Lily grimaced as the action prodded her

into looking down, and, once again, she spied the golden bodice of her

dress. It appeared as though her dear Aunt Millie had slipped a whispered

message to Madame Boliage when she had been measured for the dress by

her aunt's modiste, one that meant her niece's coming out dress was not the

respectable white linen it ought to have been and, instead, was a clinging

white crepe-back satin in the Empire line, but to her provincial sensibilities,

the bust was entirely indecent.

She had to quell the overwhelming desire to rush upstairs and return to her

suite to hide at least a small part of her décolleté with a fichu. The urge was

uppermost in her mind and, strangely, it eased her nerves to some extent. It

was with difficulty that she turned from the refreshment tables and cast a

weary eye over the proceedings.

The ballroom took up one whole floor of her Aunt Millie and Uncle George's

London mansion. The heat was oppressive and came from both the crush

and the extraordinary amount of candles. It made it hard to breathe and she

wished that she could walk out on to the balcony without being missed, but,

as the epicenter of this event, she could hardly disappear as she so wanted.

The three thousand candles, the housekeeper had informed her of this

number with a sniff, were dotted around the enormous room and as she

took in the cavernous depths with a glance, she noted that in truth, another

one or two thousand more were needed. There were areas that were far too

dark for decency. But she supposed, cynically, that they would make the

rakes and their married lovers content. Not that she was supposed to even

know what a rake actually was, but one heard rumors and they were

impossible to completely dismiss as out of hand.

The central lines of the rooms were more illuminated. On the largest of the

six towering candelabras, there were over five hundred candles and the rest

contained around four hundred apiece! The walls looked as though they were

moving from the sheer number of flickering flames!

Ordinarily, it was a girl's family who organized the come-out ball and not the

girl herself. But Lillian's Aunt Millie was, while a lovely aunt, a tad addled in

the mind department. Lily knew more about this event than she cared to

ever know! And for this to be her truly first step on to the marriage mart,

where she would be called upon to arrange more of these beastly events,

made her feel positively dreary!

She was grateful. Truthfully, she was. But she was also mired with apathetic

gloom. It had assailed her since her father's death and she felt sure she

would soon choke upon her glumness!

Many a girl, her age or younger, would have greatly appreciated having this

grand ballroom at their disposal. And she did. Inwardly, Lily sighed. She did!

Her tired gaze swept along the huge expanse of space, which was absolutely

overflowing with the best of the ton's humanity, and switched to the décor of

the room, which was much more to her taste. It always managed to press

her into an art-induced stupor, when she took in the magical magnificence of

the painted beauty this room contained.

Even though it’s sheer size was vulgar, her uncle's antecedents had at least

been sage with interior decorating.

While the room had four walls, they were four very large walls and each

depicted a Renaissance scene. The murals were overlarge and delightful,

displaying the frolicking Gods and Goddesses of ancient Rome with the touch

of a master's hand. The woodland area and the bluer than blue skies that

were redolent with warmth. The sepia tones that added a patina of vivacity

and the other rich colors that gave a much needed elegance to the ballroom.

Cornices and faux columns decorated the wainscoting in a glittering white,

which had been daubed especially for this grand occasion.

An orchestra was stationed at one end of the room, the refreshments at the

other. Music lovers congregated at the former, and the tabbies at the latter.

In the very center, couples danced merrily.

It was a jovial scene, yet it inspired no happiness in her.

Her smile was more of a grimace, as one rather putrid-looking matron

introduced her daughter and son to Lily. Naturally, this was a breach in

etiquette. As the daughter of a Marquis, only a Duke or person of the same

rank could come up to her without invitation or introduction.

Lily brushed that aside and attempted to greet the three with welcome. This

was not the first time it had occurred and while her aunt pressured her to

cut them as was her right, Lily couldn't find it in her heart to do so.

No. It was her ball and she had to be the hostess.

It was true that that should have been Aunt Millie's role, but her unfocused

way of looking at life had been rather infuriating these months past and it

had been up to Lily to have the ball arranged. In truth, she had preferred

organizing it! Give her that any day of the week, than attending the damned

thing!

Especially considering what it meant - her first day on the marriage mart.

She shuddered at the thought of spending the rest of her life with any of the

men here. But the one consolation she had was the fact that she would not

have to be pressured into marriage. Thank the Lord!

She was most fortunate, of that she did know and needed no prompting to

truly understand the depth of the gift she was being handed. The majority of

the guests here were friends or acquaintances that she had gradually come

to know over the period of her life. Lily could, with certainty, calculate that

at least ninety of the girls here were being pressured into making a match.

And yet, Lily was independent. Always had been and always would be, as

she had been raised that way. It was, therefore, difficult for her to be with

milksop girls who had just left the schoolroom and who were very firmly

under their mother's control.

At two and twenty, Lily was long overdue this ball. Yet while most women of

her social strata would love the regalia and the opulence of this party, she

wished she could depart! Either that, or hastily spirit herself away to the

library for a much quieter evening.

Lily smiled to herself at that thought. Her aunt might be of the eccentric

variety, but she would be certain to notice that her beloved niece had

disappeared somewhere on what should have been the grandest night of her

young life!

She bobbed a curtsy to the over-bearing mother before her and quickly

drifted away to free herself from the avaricious lights in the matron's eyes.

She could almost hear the woman's thoughts, how marvelous to not be

rejected by Lady Mercer! Perhaps she and Herbert could make a match! The

social difference isn't too large. After all, he is rather important in

Westminster! Surely that repairs some of the gap?

Wrinkling her nose at the thought, for while she had nothing against

Herberts in general, with this man in particular, she certainly did! A paunch

at five and twenty? Who had ever heard of the like! Society and the ton did

encourage a rather dissipated lifestyle, but that did not mean that she had

to lead that kind of life too! Especially with Herbert at her side! If she were

to marry, it would not be to a man who needed corsets more than she

herself did!

It wasn't that she was a snob.

In fact, the matron she had just swept herself away from had been the snob!

But Lily was of the opinion that were she to ever place herself within any

man's control, she would have to love him. Of that she was dead certain.

Love did not conquer all- for had her mother not loved her father and yet

was she not sinking into an early grave? But still, it was vital to a person's

existence. Of that, Lily did know. Her mama was unhappy now, but her

years had been filled with felicity and that was down to the love she had

shared with Martin, Lily's papa.

A woman swept towards her, dressed in a rather virulent shade of purple. A

turban sat askew on top of her head and a huge bejeweled brooch sat plum

in the center of the headpiece. She wore the current Empire-line style but in

a purple and lilac brocade that ensured she garnered attention. At her throat

was an overlarge amethyst that glistened and gleamed.

“Darling!” Lily's Aunt Millie cried and bestowed upon her amused niece's

cheeks two kisses. Lily always enjoyed her aunt's flamboyance. There was

something both childish and coy about it that made the woman, who was at

least five and fifty, seem more of a débutante than herself! Not that Lily had

learned of aunt's age from Millie herself. Goodness, no. Her father had

amusedly recounted the dear lady's age, when Lily had compared the older

woman to a playful nymph once.

While the thought of her papa saddened her, it did not affect the serene

mask she presented to the world. Perhaps her eyes were touched with her

feelings. “Yes? Is something wrong, aunt?” she murmured as she calmly

patted her aunt’s hand.

“I'm sure that your uncle has disappeared to the gaming tables, my dear,

and after I specifically told him not to! What do I do?”

“What do you do?” Lily repeated with a frown. “Why not simply leave him?

It’s not necessary to have him here. We both know that he hates to dance

and that he is only holding the ball because of his fondness for me. Leave

him in peace, aunt. Let him enjoy his cards!”

“But I asked him not to!” Aunt Millie responded, a mutinous cast about her